ERP · alternatives
Alternatives to QAD
22 erp tools sit alongside QAD in this directory. Below is what separates each from QAD on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 22
- With a free tier
- 7
- Cheaper to start
- 5
- QAD starts at
- $2000/month
Why people look past QAD
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the QAD entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
It costs more than the category median
QAD starts at $2000/month. Across the 7 erp tools listed beside it that publish a price, the median entry point is $349/month.
There is no free tier
The record for QAD carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 7 of the 22 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Cloud inventory management for growing businesses
- Starts $1651 a month cheaper, at $349/month.
- 4 tiers to QAD's 2.
Manufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks
- Starts $2395 a one-time dearer, at $4395/one-time.
- Sold on a one-time model rather than subscription.
Industry-specific cloud ERP solutions
- Starts $500 a month dearer, at $2500/month.
Affordable cloud MRP for small manufacturers
- Can be used without paying; QAD cannot.
- Starts $1951 a month cheaper, at $49/month.
Modular open source ERP in Python with a five year support window on major releases only
- Can be used without paying; QAD cannot.
- Sold on a Open source, no licence fee model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to QAD's 2.
French open source ERP and CRM with a low-code studio for changing the data model without forking
- Can be used without paying; QAD cannot.
- Starts $1965 a month cheaper, at $35/month.
- Sold on a Per user per month model rather than subscription.
- 3 tiers to QAD's 2.
Every QAD alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QAD (this page) | $2000/month | Subscription | 2 | |
| DEAR SystemsCloud inventory management for growing businesses | $349/month | Subscription | 4 | vs QAD |
| FishbowlManufacturing and warehouse management for QuickBooks | $4395/one-time | One-time | 2 | vs QAD |
| Infor CloudSuiteIndustry-specific cloud ERP solutions | $2500/month | Subscription | 2 | vs QAD |
| MRPeasyAffordable cloud MRP for small manufacturers | Free, then $49/month | - | 2 | vs QAD |
| Tryton | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs QAD |
| Axelor | Free, then $35/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs QAD |
| Dolibarr | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 2 | vs QAD |
| ADempiere | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs QAD |
| iDempiere | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 2 | vs QAD |
| Apache OFBiz | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs QAD |
| Omnea | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| IFS Cloud | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| Levelpath | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| Rootstock | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| Ivalua | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| Zycus | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| GEP SMART | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| Tyler Enterprise ERP (Munis) | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| Unanet | On request | Quote | 3 | vs QAD |
| Zip | On request | Quote | 1 | vs QAD |
| Cin7 Core | $349/month | Subscription | 3 | vs QAD |
| Cin7 | $349/month | Subscription | 4 | vs QAD |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the QAD badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Cheaper than QAD (5)
Entry price under QAD's $2000/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- DEAR Systems , $349/month
- MRPeasy , Free, then $49/month
- Axelor , Free, then $35/month
- Cin7 Core , $349/month
- Cin7 , $349/month
What you would be giving up
QAD is most often brought in for erp for manufacturers covering production execution and scheduling, supply chain planning, purchasing and inventory control, quality management, traceability and supplier management for regulated manufacturing, field service and enterprise asset management. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If QAD is broadly right and the question is cost, the QAD pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the ERP category lists everything the directory holds, and best erp tools ranks them.
QAD runs on cloud, on-premise, web. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about QAD alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to QAD?
- 22 other erp tools are listed in this directory, led by DEAR Systems, Fishbowl, Infor CloudSuite, MRPeasy. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to QAD?
- 7 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: MRPeasy, Tryton, Axelor, Dolibarr, ADempiere.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to QAD?
- Yes. 5 of the alternatives below start under QAD's $2000/month: DEAR Systems at $349/month, MRPeasy at Free, then $49/month, Axelor at Free, then $35/month, Cin7 Core at $349/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to QAD?
- On the figures on record, 2 things stand out: it costs more than the category median; there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from QAD?
- QAD is most often brought in for erp for manufacturers covering production execution and scheduling, supply chain planning, purchasing and inventory control, quality management, traceability and supplier management for regulated manufacturing, field service and enterprise asset management. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to QAD?
- None of the erp tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these QAD alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, ERP, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare QAD against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against QAD covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every erp tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the ERP category, 22 tools beside QAD. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.






